Help! Buying New Computer!

[Blackhawk12291]

Hey everyone, I'm buying a new computer because I'm getting into raiding a lot more and I need to get off this macbook pro laptop so it stops lagging and just being plain bad in the raids and major cities. I have 2 possible set ups in mind right now. 1 of them goes over my budget by about 300 dollars but I want to post it anyway just to see what everyone thinks. Keep in mind I'm not looking for the best of the best as far as the computer goes. Just something that will run wow without lagging while in org and shrine and high populated areas. And something with good enough graphics to put them on high or ultra all the time and to perform well in raids. So my budget is $1,000 dollars, here are the two set ups i had in mind.

1). comes out to $949

Alienware X51
PROCESSOR 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-3330 (6M Cache, up to 3.0 GHz)
MEMORY 16GB (2 X 8GB) Dual Channel DDR3 up to 1600MHz
HARD DRIVE 1TB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640 1GB GDDR5
OPERATING SYSTEM Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
POWER SUPPLY 240W External Power Supply


2). comes out to #1,249

Alienware X51
MEMORY 16GB (2 X 8GB) Dual Channel DDR3 up to 1600MHz
HARD DRIVE 1TB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache
PROCESSOR 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-3330 (6M Cache, up to 3.0 GHz)
OPERATING SYSTEM Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660 1.5GB GDDR5
POWER SUPPLY 330W External Power Supply


Those are the two set ups I'm looking at, Ideally I would like to stay in my budget with the first set up. I dont know much about computers but I want to just be able to have an enjoyable play experience while in WoW with not much lag and some good graphics. Any suggestions to post as well would be appreciated.

Thanks for any feedback!

[chazus]

1) Don't get Alienware. Period. Both those systems are stupidly expensive for the parts they have.
2) Can you build it? If so, you can get a system that's better than the second system, for less than the cost of the first.
3) If you can't build it, there are still much better options out there for prebuilt.
4) Don't get Alienware. Crap service. Crap parts. Crap price. There is literally no redeeming value of getting an Alienware.

[Blackhawk12291]

I dont know enough about computers to build anything myself that's why I'm looking at pre built. What are some good companies I should look into?

[Deleted]

To be honest, I knew next to nothing about computers when I built the rig I'm currently using. It's like lego really, make sure you have one of those de-charge (not sure if they're called this in english) bracelets and just read the manual that comes with the motherboard (in my case). It was really fun, perhaps invite a friend over and build it together. You'll learn ALOT about computers in general and it's more satisfying to play on something you put together yourself

Just don't be an idiot and take it easy, don't stress anything and have a good time

[llDemonll]

gotta start somewhere! the link in my signature has a pretty good overview on the basics of assembling a computer. if you've played with legos before, you can build a computer

[chazus]

Unfortunately pre-built systems are more expensive from the get-go. However I see a lot of people ordering from IBuyPower.

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Intel...5_Configurator

Basically the standard setup with a 660 video card, 8gb ram, 500w PSU, and i5-3570K with liquid cooling comes to about $1050, including the OS and shipping. Unfortunately you take about a $200 kick in the pants to labor and shipping by having it pre-built, but it still beats the $1250 Alienware system in cost, and performance.

EDIT: I agree that building it is still better. You get MUCH more control over costs, and parts. Do you have any friends that can help you, show you what goes where? My girlfriend used to be "LOL power button here". I showed her how, and she built her most current system, an OC'd i5-2500K, with a 560ti and 12gb ram. It's a fairly beast system, I'm proud of her.

[Blackhawk12291]

Well with all of that feedback, I think I'll try to build my own! If anyone has any part suggestions for good quality gaming for WoW and could take the time to post them, I'd really appreciate it!

[Asurakai]

Well with all of that feedback, I think I'll try to build my own! If anyone has any part suggestions for good quality gaming for WoW and could take the time to post them, I'd really appreciate it!

For the graphics card, the very least I would get for an MMO is the 7770 or 6850 but since you have a budget of $1,000 you could easily get a Radeon 7850, 7870, or probably even a 7950. If you prefer Geforce, the Geforce 660 is similar to the Radeon 7870 in both price and performance. I believe the 660Ti is currently overpriced when you can get a 7950 for just a bit more. The 640 in option #1 is a very bad option for an MMO. You could easily level on it and probably do some low populated battlegrounds and 5-man dungeons, but everything will be rather unstable.

stick with an i5 processor since you already have it in mind. They are the best gaming processors currently available, especially for the price.

8GB of RAM 1600Mhz DDR3

and a power supply with a high enough watt limit. 500watts will do.

[pizz]

this is what i would build up. SSD drive for your Operating system and your games. A big storage drive. Good CPU if you plan to overclock, and a good aftermarket cooler. Good Ram, and a good Power Supply and Case. Video card is good too. the link is below, take a look at it.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xf49

if others want to add their suggestions go for it

[Deleted]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Radioactive 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($101.68 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $958.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-12 18:28 EST-0500)

SSD for your OS+programs and a few games. Media etc. on the storage drive (HDD). Windows 7 included. I recommend an aftermarket heat sink but it was going to push the budget a little but this would be fine if you decide to include one Xigmatek GAIA - $21

Newegg TV: How To Build a Computer - Part 1 - Choosing Your Components
Newegg TV: How To Build a Computer - Part 2 - The Build
Newegg TV: How To Build a Computer - Part 3 - Installing Windows & Finishing Touches

Or these videos from ASUS, showing you how to:

ASUS How-To - Get Started Building a PC
ASUS How-To - Install Inside the Case
ASUS How-To - Install CPU, CPU Fan, & Memory
ASUS How-To - Cable Management